Free Chinese lessons for Ireland

Free Chinese lessons for Ireland

The global recession has hit the Irish economy harder than most. But help is at hand, albeit from an unlikely source: ChinesePod, the online learning platform, is offering free and unlimited Chinese lessons to the people of Ireland until May 2010. The company, co-founded by Irishman Ken Carroll, believes that providing this linguo-cultural inroad to the world’s most potent economy could be effective towards Ireland’s long-term economic recovery. ChinesePods’s timing is spot on: this year marks the 30th anniversary of Sino-Irish diplomatic relations, and beginning May 1st next year, the Irish pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo will open its doors.